on may 8, 2003 we met shigeru ban at the triennale museum in milan. the japanese architect discussed his innovative residential, installation, and humanitarian projects. ban’s contemporary twist on traditional architecture is inspiring and surprising. his research into the use of unconventional building materials to achieve formal elegance is both efficient and economical. — ARCHITECTURE NOW shigeru ban began by reflecting on how the architect’s role has changed in the last three centuries. he mentioned his doubts about the contributions architects make to society. throughout history the architect has been hired to create ‘monuments’ for privileged people and societies, including religious groups, governments, and private corporations. while this is still largely true, beginning from the 19th century there has been an increasing demand for ‘social housing’. it was then that architects began to work for the general public, and the theme of socially responsible architecture has been discussed lively in the modern avant-garde movements. today, in ban’s view, the social responsibility of the architect is tied also to the proliferation of global natural and man-made disasters. — PAPER ban first began experimenting with alternative materials in 1986, when he used paper, instead of wood, to build his alvar aalto exhibition display. he wanted to create a space that suggested the master’s building techniques but the budget did not allow the use of wood. he was surprised at the strength of the paper and later on he began to use paper tubes also on building structures. in his projects, the traditional japanese house made of bamboo returns transformed by cardboard tubes. ban discussed several of these paper projects and installations, including the inexpensive and durable housing units for the victims of earthquakes in kobe, japan in 1995.